David Fincher has been trying to get Rendezvous With Rama off the ground for some time now. Arthur C. Clarke‘s 1972 novel is set in the 22nd century, a group of human explorers, who intercept a thirty-mile-long cylindrical alien starship that passes through Earth’s solar system, and attempt to unlock its mysteries. Last we heard the Zodiac director was still waiting on a script, with preliminary plans to shoot the film using performance-capture. Our friends at First Showing got a chance to speak with Fincher over the weekend, and the director confirmed that the project will probably never happen.

“It looks like it’s not going to happen. There’s no script and as you know, [Morgan Freeman‘s] not in the best of health right now,” admitted Fincher. “We’ve been trying to do it but it’s probably not going to happen.”

This is unfortunate. I think I speak for everyone in saying that the idea of Fincher making a Sci-Fi movie should induce geekgasms. And I’m talking about a science fiction film where he has full control, unlike Alien 3. The plot however never fully intrigued me, and without Fincher or someone on his level involved, I’m not sure I care to see it on the big screen. I mean, who exactly wants to see Paul WS Anderson’s version of 2001: A Space Odyssey?